Recruitment of international child social workers

These questions concern the strategic recruitment of ethnic, international child protection social workers (Childrens Department). Please distinguish between country of birth, of training and employment. Namibians, Botswanana, Zambians and Zimbabweans tend to get lumped together as South Africans which is not correct. The info will be on their certificates of sponsorship.

1. What selection criteria have you applied and why?

Person specification from the job description (SSW – Transition) used for shortlisting purposes but if applicants were already registered with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) they were prioritised. The individuals were then interviewed via Skype and completed an online written exercise.

a. Noting that some applications may be in process who many such social workers have been offered posts broken down by the criteria above?

12, with reference to the job description and the interview and written exercise.

b. What is the gender distribution of those offered jobs and not offered jobs?

7 Female employees 5 Male Employees Gender is not recorded for applicants not offered a post.

c. According to gender how many were registered in advance of interview or had such applications in process? What were the least, medium and maximum times to process such applications? counting from initial receipt by HCPC? Where any rejected, subsequently appealed with what outcomes?

We do not hold this information as this information is the responsibility of the HCPC.

d. Have any failed their probation periods, had them extended or have otherwise been dismissed?

None

e. What financial support has been made available to them for relocation, visas etc for their families? Please provide details and details of relocation on offer to UK based social workers.

The Devon County Council Guidance for New Employees on Relocation Allowances can be seen via the link below:

2. Are you considering recruiting from outside the UK in 2019? How many? Which source countries do you have in mind? What is the track record of citizens from such countries?

Yes. We are looking to recruit a further 12 workers mainly from Africa, we do not hold the precise information on which countries. We are going to rely on current overseas workers using social media to encourage applications. Our track record on this recruitment is positive.

3. How many numbers are you contemplating? What selection criteria are you likely to initially intend to apply. Are interviews to be live (?where) or by skype?

12, as set out above. Selection criteria will be the same as before. Interviews by Skype.

4. In September you submitted D o E workforce return for social workers. What were your vacancy, full time and agency rates for social workers? What have been the newly qualified retention rates taking each of the last four years in a row?

The following was reported on the Children’s Workforce Return for Sep 18: Vacancy Rate 75.21 FTE 38.32 FTE vacancies were covered by agency workers (42 headcount)

The retention rates for newly qualified are:

Year

Employee Headcount

Employee Leavers

2014

31

8

2015

32

2

2016

17

0

2017

14

0

2018

23

0

Grand Total

117

10

5. The top three tiers of Childrens Services can be roughly broken down to Director, Deputy/Assistant Director and Service Manager/Principal Social Worker. Please identify the top three posts in your Department, their names and jo titles together with, over the last 12 months, such post holders who have been interim/consultancy, short term contract (9 months or less) or permanent. What has the additional cost been compared with permanency?

Chief Officer for Childrens Service: Jo Olsson

Head of Childrens Social Care: Darryl Freeman

Principle Social Worker: Valerie Cannon

We can confirm that all of these people have held their positions for more than the last 12 months.

6. The Prime Minister has announced an income cap of £300,000 per worker (depends are not mentioned). What would be the immediate impact on this on Local Authorities tomorrow? How many posts would remain unfilled? How many redundancies would arise? In particular, what are the implications for the care of the elderly and disabled Who will fill the jobs caring for behaviorally challenging youth, acute disability etc. The list goes on. I am asking about the implications NOW not in a year or so’s time.

I am assuming you are making reference to the minimum salary that a worker needs to earn for the Employer to be able to sponsor a tier 2 visa which is £30,000 and not £300,000. There is no impact on us as an Employer as the employees earn the minimum salary required.

7. How many and between which countries have transfers of internationally training social workers (this has always been the terminology) between Care Councils. What costs do such transfers involved brown down), what is the total cost and how do you explain the different amounts involved for the same administrative exercise?

Nil

Please answer the same in relation to reinstatement.

Nil

8. Of those who have not succeeded initially how many have been offered the CHOICE of an aptitude test or supervised practice\(as good as impossible to arrange in England)? How many have declined such tests, how many have passed them and how many have failed? How many have confirmed impossibility of finding such placements? For those, what assistance have you provided? How many have been advised of their rights of appeal? Stepping back to the choice between an aptitude test and supervised practice. i have seen some letters effectively saying it is supervised practice or nothing. Please provide the current letter.

Nil

9. If you have a so called return to practice policy, how in law, does it take precedence over a European Directive and UK-wide Regulations made in accordance with an Act of Parliament??How many have had this “policy” applied to them? Of those how many have met its supervised practice criteria and how many have just found it impossible to comply and given up. of those who give up how may get their registration fees back. How many stumble through your return to practice policy and get registered?

Nil

10. Please provide the person specification criteria, the job description and other conditions of service that apply to your assessors and registration managers.

11, This applies to HCPC. How many employees, including assessors as an independent category, have English as a verified (O/A/GCSE level; how many hold an IELTS or CELTA qualification and how many have no formal English qualification? It is noted that in the Borough in which you are located 78%(?) of residents do not speak English or do so as a second language (Office of National Statistics)?

We do not hold this information as this information is the responsibility of the HCPC.